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From the Desk of Rabbi David Lyon

This week, far from
Jerusalem, I’m preparing for Shabbat in
Bruceville,
Texas. You read correctly. About midway between Dallas and Austin, off I-35, sits Greene Family Camp, Texas-
Oklahoma
region’s Reform Jewish summer camp. For the last 35 years, GFC, as it’s
known to its fans, is the coolest (awesome) Jewish summer spot in the
state. This summer, nearly 900 campers will fill the bunks in two
sessions that run from early June through early August.

Every year, I come to GFC to serve as a faculty
member along with many of my colleagues around the region. We have fun
teaching, leading and singing with the campers and their counselors. In
“Shiurim” or lessons, we integrate Jewish life with secular life and
demonstrate how we bring our Judaism with us everywhere we go. At GFC, a
mitzvah (good deed) is experienced everywhere everyday, even on the
tennis courts, the gymnastics equipment, in the game room around the
pool tables, ping-pong tables, and pinball machines, in the big new
workout room and indoor basketball courts, around the gazebo, on the
high and low ropes courses, down the zip line, at the camp zoo, at the
archery range, on the soccer and baseball fields, in the art room,
during photography activities, theater arts, at the huge pool, on the
mountain bike trails, around the campfire, during bunk activities, in
the lake and on the new lake play equipment, in the dining hall, during
song session, and on Shabbat, when after all this and much more, we
finally rest as a camp community.

When I arrived at camp this past week, there were new and
beautiful improvements all around camp. To begin with, the new sports
complex is magnificent. A huge building filled with every imaginable
sports activity awaits hundreds of eager campers. They run, jump,
bounce, lift weights, and play games. Just outside the sports complex is
a new gazebo surrounded by walkways that form a huge Jewish star (Magen
David). The American and Israeli flags stand proudly at one end. Around
the gazebo, you can imagine the whole community coming together for
concerts, programs and special events. The outdoor chapel (beit
knessest) has been renovated with new benches for everyone to be seated
as services begin. In the evening, when the sun sets behind the hills,
it’s a picture perfect place for prayers to find their deepest
meaning.

You might be wondering why I’m so excited about Greene
Family Camp. Well, I’m not just a salesman; I’m also a user and donor.
GFC has been a summer home-away-from-home and a veritable
Israel for hundreds of Jewish kids from every synagogue in the region. Where else but
Israel,
can Jewish kids live on Jewish time everyday and spend informal time
with their rabbis and Jewish counselors, morning, noon and night? That’s
why I come here and spend time with our
Temple kids and my own. It’s not
Jerusalem, but you’d have to go a long way to find anything that compares to
Israel. And, we do, in
Bruceville,
Texas.
I give to GFC every year to be sure that in my own small way the camp
has what it needs to provide our Jewish kids and future Jewish fathers
and mothers everything they need to understand that it’s fun to do a
mitzvah, to keep Shabbat, and to feel the power of being part of a
Jewish community.

On top of all that, it’s actually cooler in Bruceville than it is in
Houston. So, as the song says, “Bring your Lexus to
Bruceville,
Texas; follow me to GFC!” See for yourself at www.greene.org.

From the Desk of Rabbi David Lyon

by David Lyon

6-18-2010

When we arrived in Israel, May 30th, our eyes and ears were open to everything around us. Tel Aviv was far from Houston, and there was evidence of the fact everywhere around us. No humidity. No Texas
accent. Just lots of Hebrew, falafel and Mediterranean air. When we
boarded the bus to our destination, the guide began to prepare us for
our first stop.

Along the way she pointed out lush fields where
orchards of fruits and vegetables were growing. She explained that
before Israeli pioneers began to work the land, there were nothing but
marsh lands. Swamps. They drained the fields and controlled the water so
that crops would grow. She also pointed to the tall buildings going up
in the distance. They were apartment buildings that sold like
condominiums. The growing population including immigrants required the
new construction. She cautioned that among the new buildings were what
they called “ghost communities.” In some cases, Americans bought up the
apartments with intentions to visit Israel a few weeks each year. They thought they were doing the right thing by investing in Israel
real estate, but their absence during the majority of the year didn’t
sustain neighborhood stores, restaurants and businesses. So, in the
absence of residents there was a dearth of business, thus a ghost
community. We felt informed and forewarned.

Our guides, Lyana Rotstein and David Leshnick, answered
all of our questions with great care and depth. They were true fonts of
information, historical, political, modern and cultural. We depended on
them for the broadest and deepest views of the Land. And, when we
stumped them only because our questions became more intricate, they were
not embarrassed to admit, “Israel is complicated.” It became a mantra we began to repeat to ourselves. In America, we have our own pundits who slice and dice the news into bits of information. We look for conclusions we can bank on; but, in Israel, where answers are also sought, sometimes the answer is simply, “Israel
is complicated.” What’s unique about Israeli culture is that it is
perfectly normal to live with tension between opposing views, ideas and
outlooks. Like the culture of Talmud study, the dialectic nature of
conversations on many topics shaped and refined thoughts and opinions
into sharply honed conclusions. And when it didn’t, sometimes it was the
most authoritative or the loudest voice that prevailed. There was ample
evidence of both in Israel.

At the end of each day, we were full of information. I
can’t say that we always reached conclusions, but we learned to say on
our own and without any prompting, “Israel
is complicated.” To live with a bit of tension between competing ideas
might be the key to peace. Israelis live with tension everyday and to
look at them is to observe resolve and resilience.

The way to peace can’t be one way or the other, black and
white with no gray areas; often times it has to be two ways that exist
together at the same time. The rabbis used to teach, “Eilu va-eilu,”
these and these; that is, both views have truth. How do we pursue peace
in a contested region? We can take our cue from Israel, where life is complicated and it works.

From the Desk of Rabbi David Lyon

by David Lyon

6-8-2010

I
wish I could retain every sensory feeling I enjoyed while on vacation
this past month. I brought my camera. It’s not a complex one, but for
its size it takes remarkably fine pictures. When I uploaded the pictures
and edited them to highlight favorite segments, I was instantly
transported back to places that were at once beautiful, restful and fun.

This month, Lisa and I were in the Rocky Mountains in
Colorado and
Canada. In
Colorado, we hiked in places we had never been. We hiked up to
Crater Lake
at 10,000 feet. Still not out of breath, we had a picnic lunch and
played Frisbee with friends. Another day, we went to the driving range
and practiced our new golf swings. Whether we sliced or reached the
target, we laughed together and created new memories we’ll always
cherish. And, somehow, food in the mountains just tastes better. It
couldn’t be the lack of oxygen; it must be the fresh air and
surroundings that make burgers, ice-cream and farmer’s market samples
taste so fine.

In
Canada,
our eyes couldn’t adequately take in the magnificence of the Canadian
Rockies. They were overwhelming to behold. They caused us to feel
incredibly and insignificantly human. With respect for the nature
surrounding us, we approached the trails that led us to new heights near
Lake Louise. Reaching
LakeAgnes and the Tea House above us, was a goal we found exhilarating. Near Fernie, fly-fishing in the
Elk River
and at Cataract Creek was a unique outdoor experience we had never
known. We had lots of bites on our hooks and we landed a few, too. Catch
and release meant all we kept were pictures and thrilling memories of
the brook trout we caught. My favorite part was standing in waders in
the middle of the river. I was spared the cold temperatures of the
waters, but I loved the sweeping feeling of the river’s energy. On our
way down the road, we saw a grizzly bear and her two cubs from the car
(thankfully), and fresh bear tracks near where we were fishing
(frightfully). In
Cranbrook,
we also played our first round of 18 holes of golf. It only felt like
36. Deer in the rough and a coyote running down the fairway made it a
scenic game, as well.

Lisa and I have fun, together; but, it was the company of friends from
Houston,
that added to our enjoyable vacation memories. Now, we trade emails,
pictures, and special stories that take us back to places we shared for
only a short time. The places are still there; the friends are still
among us; and next summer will come. Now, when I want to “get away” all I
have to do is think about that river, its energy, the slow graceful arc
of the fly fishing rod, and the small fly dropping silently onto the
water. Perfect.

Now we’re home where life’s other obligations await us.
I’m grateful that work and recreation can coexist. One makes the other
seem so important and necessary. I didn’t always understand that. I used
to think that my work was also my pleasure, which it can be, but now it
doesn’t come at the expense of recreation for its own sake. I’m glad I
understand its value now. I’m glad that my wife and friends could help
me see it and feel it.

As summer vacations come to an end, I know how you feel
if you’re stepping off the plane, unpacking your shorts and t-shirts,
and trading them in for rush hour and suits and ties. Ah, work and
recreation are cycles that come and go. They remind us of the value of
the other and how important are our friends, colleagues, and family
every day.

I look forward to seeing you soon. From my family to yours, Shabbat Shalom.